USA Nordic Names 17 Athletes To Junior Worlds Team
The USA will be well represented at International Ski Federation’s (FIS) Junior World Ski Championships for ski jumping and nordic combined next month. USA Nordic, the national leadership organization for jumping and nordic combined, has named a team of 17 athletes to compete in the February 8-13, 2021 event in Lahti, Finland.
The event, which will be run under strict COVID-19 protocols, has been confirmed by FIS. Athletes will be heading to Finland in early February.
The team includes seven athletes from the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, three from Park City Ski & Snowboard and two each from the Norge Ski Club and Flying Eagles Ski Club among seven different USA Nordic club programs across the country.
Five men and four women qualified for the ski jumping team. It will be the fourth Junior Worlds appearance for Andrew Urlaub (Eau Claire, Wis.), Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Sam Macuga (Park City, Utah). Urlaub has been competing on the World Cup and Continental Cup this season and was seventh in a FIS Cup this month at Zakopane, Poland.
Four U.S. jumpers took part in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games last winter in Lausanne, Switzerland including Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), Landon Lee (Eau Claire, Wis.), Annika Belshaw and Paige Jones (Park City, Utah).
Five men and three women qualified in nordic combined. It will be the third Junior Worlds team for Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.). Arnone was a part of the women’s nordic combined Junior Worlds debut in 2019.
Four of the Junior Worlds team athletes were also on last winter’s Youth Olympic Games team including Carter Brubaker (Anchorage), Malacinski, Arnone and Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, Colo.). Malacinski, who made his debut World Cup appearance this month, was fifth at the Youth Olympic Games.
“This is an important event for our developing athletes,” said USA Nordic Sport Director Jed Hinkley. “Each year we are seeing continued upward movement from our young team. We are grateful to the organizers in Lahti, as well as to FIS sport management, for being able to create a safe environment for our athletes and staff to conduct this event.”
The venue in Lahti is one of the most notable nordic stadiums in the world. It has been the site of many Nordic World Championships, including 2017, and was the site for the Nordic Junior World Championships in 2019.
FIS will hold the cross country events of the Junior World Championships in nearby Vuokatti.
2021 USA NORDIC JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Note: ages as of Feb. 8, 2021 - start of event; () indicates number of Junior Worlds Teams including 2021. * indicates participation in 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Men’s Ski Jumping
Erik Belshaw, 16, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (2x) *
Hunter Gibson, 19, Woodstock, Ill., Norge Ski Club (2x)
Shane Kocher, 17, Algonquin, Ill., Norge Ski Club (1x)
Landon Lee, 18, Eau Claire, Wis., Flying Eagles Ski Club (1x) *
Andrew Urlaub, 19, Eau Claire, Wis., Flying Eagles Ski Club (4x)
Women’s Ski Jumping
Annika Belshaw, 18, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (4x) *
Jillian Highfill, 16, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard (2x)
Paige Jones, 18, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard (3x) *
Sam Macuga, 19, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard (4x)
Men’s Nordic Combined
Carter Brubaker, 17, Anchorage (Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage) (1x) *
Gunnar Gilbertson Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (1x)
Henry Johnstone, 20, Concord, Mass. Andover Outing Club (2x)
Niklas Malacinski, 17, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (3x) *
Evan Nichols, 17, Lyme, N.H., Ford K. Sayre Memorial Ski Council (3x)
Women’s Nordic Combined
Tess Arnone, 17, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (3x) *
Alexa Brabec, 16, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (2x) *
Annika Malacinski, 19, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (2x)
2021 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Monday, Feb. 8
Opening Ceremony
Tuesday, Feb. 9
Men’s nordic combined provisional competition round
Wednesday, Feb. 10
Women’s nordic combined
Women’s HS100m ski jumping
Thursday, Feb. 11
Women’s nordic combined
Women’s HS100m ski jumping
Friday, Feb. 12
Nordic combined mixed team event
Men’s HS100m ski jumping team event
Women’s HS100m ski jumping team event
